Fate Meets Destiny
by the pink pastel
Summary: When Haruno Sakura was asked to work with Uchiha Sasuke for a big company project, out of all her expectations, love wasn't one of them. Pose for the camera. "I'm not feeling the chemistry. Try looking deeply into each other's eyes. That's good!" Oh, boy.
1. Job Offer

Well, it's been a long time since I've made a multi-chapter. Ugh, I swear, I haven't really paid attention to updating. I hope this year will be better than the last. Honestly, I was quite excited to get this new story out. It's kind of my current favorite. Teehee. :)

Summary: When Haruno Sakura was asked to work with Uchiha Sasuke for a big company project, out of all her expectations, love wasn't one of them. Pose for the camera. "I'm not feeling the chemistry. Try looking deeply into each other's eyes. That's good!" Oh, boy.

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**Chapter 1: Job Offer  
. . . **_  
Dreams are like stars...you may never touch them,  
but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.  
_**. . . **_

* * *

_

. . .

Emerald orbs swept through the semi-crowded restaurant. Her fingers were entwined and her elbows were propped up on the table. Checking her wristwatch for the time once again, she lifted one of her hands delicately, (unconsciously drawing attention to her ivory skin), and ran it through her silk pink locks as a sigh left her lips.

"Honestly, that guy..."

It was her first day off from work in months, (being an on-demand model, she was requested more times than often during the whole duration of her work) and hearing the news, her blonde High School friend had persuaded her to dine with him for dinner at one of the finest restaurants in Japan. This action effectively booked her first day off from work.

Uzumaki Naruto, her friend since High School was running late. Inside, Sakura knew that he had another motive for inviting her out all of a sudden. She knew the boy all too well to accept the fact that he had invited her out just to hang out again.

A flash of spiky blonde tresses caught her eye as she gawked (though not openly) at the familiar face of her friend.

He had matured, that's for sure.

His chubby cheeks from back then had turned to finely shaped ones, supported by a defined jawline. Under his casual attire of jeans and an orange polo shirt (she wasn't surprised, he had taken a liking to the color even back then), Sakura could make out the outline of his toned chest and body.

"Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed once he spotted her. It wasn't hard, really. Her strikingly natural pink hair always made it easy for people to spot her. Her hair was one of the reasons why she had never liked the game, _'hide and seek'_ from her childhood. She always lost.

The clock ticked by as they sat and dined for the evening. Stories of catching up were told, as well as funny experiences and memories from back in the day were shared.

"Getting to the point here, Sakura-chan. I'm sure you knew all too well that I didn't only invite you here because I wanted to just catch up, right?"

A soft chuckle escaped Sakura's pink lips as she drank from her water glass before responding. "Of course. It's like we're siblings, after all. I knew that there were attachments. Besides, judging from your mannerisms; you've grown."

From his prankster ways to working for one of the top advertising agencies throughout the country, Uzumaki Naruto had definitely stepped up his game.

"So, like I mentioned earlier, I managed to land a job at _'Itsumademo Advertising_'. Pay is good and whatnot, but the job itself is _beyond_ amazing! Of course I need to be at the set all the time when photoshoots take place, and I get to meet super hot models hired for a specific shoot!" Naruto's eyes were shining brilliantly as he continued telling Sakura the background of his job. His fists were practically palming the satin tablecloth from sheer excitement.

"Well that is quite exciting. Not to mention that I won't have to worry about you living and dying alone." She joked.

"Very funny, Sakura-chan. You're hilarious." He commented. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Naruto pouted childishly as he wondered why people would even bother thinking that he'd die alone. He was good looking. Charming at times, not to mention he knew how to lighten up the mood. As he continued pondering, he failed to notice the hand waving in front of his face.

"Naruto, I was kidding." He heard once he resurfaced. "Besides, we were talking about your alterior motive, remember?"

The blonde slapped himself mentally as he recalled his job. It was important that he got this part done, for his job was at stake here.

"Right, right." His tone tuned serious as he looked at Sakura straight in the eye. "Sakura-chan, how would you like to work with me at _Itsumademo Advertising_ as a part-time model? We could seriously use your… err—body. Not _that_ way though!"

An eyebrow raised was her response. "And what exactly do you mean to say, Naruto?"

He cleared his throat. From the start he knew that this plan of his was going to benefit the both of them. The hired models, the fact that this project was under an entirely new category that the company had just decided to tackle on. Not to mention that if this project was a huge hit, a lot of doors for both the company and the hired models will open, all of course, under their favor.

"Would you perhaps be interested in working for a project under _Itsumademo Advertising_?"

It was a simple yes or no question. Of course she was leaning over to the positive side, and the words that would lead her to the whole contract signing and whatnot were already on her lips. But somehow a nagging feeling at the back of her mind kept her from voicing out the words ready to be spoken.

"Hold on, I think there's a catch here. Everything sounds too good to be true. Working for one of the leading advertising agencies in Japan and I'm guessing the pay will be high as well, not to mention the possibilities of another step in my career is definitely wrapped up with the package. Therefore, there _must _be a catch."

Oh, she knew him all too well, alright.

An amused smile appeared on Naruto's face as he thought fondly of the pink haired girl sitting across him.

"It's just that we decided to make you the face of the first ever magazine under the company. It's entitled, _Ullzang_. We don't really want to pressure you or anything, since this is a big project, after all.

"As you may know, _'Ullzang_', when roughly translated means, 'Best Faces'. There was a board meeting a few days ago, and your name popped up as one of the possible main models for the company's new project. A little this and that from the other members, positive feedback from me — all of which, are facts about you, added to the fact that I know you personally as well as your face appearing on billboards all throughout Tokyo and numerous times on big pictures in _Shibuya Crossing_, the only thing you need to do now is say yes, and the deal is sealed." Naruto explained.

Although everything seemed surreal and a dream to her, Sakura couldn't help the feeling over giddiness that washed over her. She was chosen to be the main model of the first ever magazine line that will be published under the name of one of the widely known advertising companies in Japan. Who wouldn't be excited?

"Well," she started off, "It's not like I can say no to one of the most exciting projects I have ever been asked to be a part of." Naruto nodded. "I'm not crazy enough to say no to an amazing project like this. So Naruto, you can expect me to be there on the day of the photoshoot or whatever it is that you guys have in store for me."

A warm smile spread throughout Naruto's face as the whole business air floating around them dissipated, which immediately brought the two back to the whole catching up activity.

He sighed in relief visibly, (of course, this being one of the ways to revert back to the friendly atmosphere and out of the business one) as he wiped an imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"Thank goodness. I couldn't stand another moment of being all serious and business-y with you. I mean, it's _you_, Sakura-chan, my best friend since High School. We'd joke about the silliest things, and being serious with you, well… it's scary!" he admitted, laughing as mirth and amusement filled the expression in his eyes as he was swarmed with joyful memories back during their High School year.

And during the rest of the evening, they reverted back into joking and discussing once again about wonderful memories from back then. The time had slipped past them, no doubt. By the time that Naruto had checked his watch, it was already quite late. So after getting the bill and walking out of the restaurant, not to mention making sure a cab had already been called for Sakura, it was time to say their goodbyes for now.

"Bye, Naruto. It was nice catching up with you after all this time." Sakura stated before hugging the blonde to her. She felt him reciprocate the action before pulling away and opening the cab door ready to step in.

"Oh, and by the way, it just occurred to me that you mentioned something about me being _one _of the main models for the magazine."

"Hmm?"

"I just wanted to know my fellow co-models that I will be working with is all." She clarified.

"Ah, well you see when I meant main models, I don't mean the monthly thing going on for all magazines. No. Actually, it's sort of like a done deal. There won't be any specific months or a limited number of months, that is, that the models will be featured on the magazine. When we mean main models, it's quite the literal term, actually. Of course there will be guest star models and all that, but it's kind of like a television series, I guess? Where the main leading actors will be present, and at times there will be guest star actors and such. That kind of thing."

"Ohh, I see. And the models besides me are…?"

"The company has chosen four main models. 2 boys and 2 girls. I'm sure you know them quite well. They're shall we say — discovered models as well, just like yourself. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that one of your best friends since High School and fellow model as well will be Yamanaka Ino."

Sakura didn't even mind the fact that she probably looked like a gaping fish at the moment. Knowing that her new job seemed more like a reunion than a project shocked her to no end. "You're kidding me, right?" were the strangled words that she managed to croak out from the excitement and disbelief that clouded her system.

"No, not at all. Not to mention Sai will also be there. I'm sure he's quite familiar to you since he always appears on TV in talk shows and ads. Commonly revolving around the concept of art."

Sakura nodded. "And the other?"

An amused smile appeared on Naruto's face as he thought about the last person she'd be working with. "It was quite hard to get him to agree to this whole thing. He is sort of a big shot type of person, after all. All the girls fawning over him, not just because his face and body are labeled "A Masterpiece", but because of his high status as well. His family's big company is known throughout Japan as well as various countries."

A brow rose as Sakura's response. She would be working with this type of person? Now that would be quite fun.

"Can you believe that the company got the Uchiha Sasuke to work as one of the main models for _Ullzangz_? It came as quite a shock to the board members when they received a confirmation from his manager."

Oh yes. Disbelief rose in Sakura's chest as well. She knew the guy. No, not in person, but she's seen him all over TV as well as pictures of him on billboards modeling for only high-classed brands. She heard the rumors. Rumors that turned out to be true after all. All about the fact that it was quite hard to get a hold of a person with his accomplishments. He didn't work for just _anyone_. Although, it did make sense, since after all, he was going to sign a contract with _Itsumademo Advertising_, after all.

"How exactly?" she questioned with interest. Completely forgetting about the taxi driver obviously impatiently waiting for her to get in and drive to her destination in order to receive his added pay.

"It was kind of an advantage. I knew the guy from college before he decided to go into his current multi-career. We were — shall I say, best buddies. Well, nothing actually changed. We still are, so it wasn't that hard to get him to completely accept."

The taxi driver immediately turned his head to the opened door. "Miss, if you're ready, we should probably get a move on before we get into traffic."

Sakura spared a glance at the driver before nodding then turning back to Naruto.

"I'll see you first thing on Monday then." He said before urging her to get going with a smile on his cheery face.

Sakura nodded before giving him a friendly peck on the cheek before completely ducking in the cab. She felt the cab begin to move as she looked back at Naruto's slowly fading waving form.

"Uchiha Sasuke, huh?" she spoke to herself silently as she thought of the male fondly.

So far she hadn't regretted the decision she made of accepting Naruto's offer. The perks were much to her liking.

. . .

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To be continued

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I'd really appreciate it if I received reviews on your views on the first chapter! I focused more on introducing the whole concept and getting the boring details out immediately, that way I won't have to include them in later chapters.

I posted up some other accounts of mine on my profile. Feel free to contact me outside of F.F! :)

**Reviews give me motivation to update, so do send them! **  
I sometimes end up abandoning works because of my nasty habit of losing interest, so help me by clicking that review button and sharing your thoughts with me! It would mean a lot! Don't be a ghost reader now and just click that _Story Alert_ button. :)

Until the next update!


	2. First Impressions

It's been a while! Sorry it took me quite a while to get this out.

So... enjoy! :)

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**Chapter 2: First Impressions  
. . .**_  
Love at first sight is possible, but it's always a good idea to take a second look.  
_**. . .**

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. . .

Haruno Sakura stifled a yawn before patting the palms of both her hands to her cheeks gently, in a desperate attempt to keep herself awake.

Gazing around the wide expanse of the first floor lobby in the main building of _Itsumademo Advertising_, everything seemed quite familiar to her. Having been her not too long ago (particularly on the scheduled day, last Monday where Naruto had handed her the papers and contracts for signing), the place seemed quite... commercial to her. It was unlike the first impression she had when she entered the building for the first time.

Emerald orbs swept over to the huge clock hanging by the wall above the receptionist counter. Half an hour past 8 in the morning on a sunny Saturday. Why was she here at such an ungodly hour on a weekend again?

Oh right. All the models were to report to the building today. In just a few hours, she'd be meeting all the other models she was tasked to work with for this particular company project. Briefing, questioning, etc. Those were on the agenda for today.

"Haruno-san," the brunette behind the receptionist counter called.

Standing up and smoothing out the creases on her skirt, Sakura slowly made her way over. "Yes?"

After apologizing for the wait, the brunette gave her the particular instructions needed to reach her destination for today.

Going up a few floors, a few turns down the hall, Sakura ended up in front of double glass doors. She gazed at the sight at the other side. A dark marble counter stood at the opposing side of the door, plush couches were situated on the eastern side of the room, and a female figure seated on one of the said plush leather couches. Said female had her long blond locks tied to a rather familiar ponytail.

"Ino?" Sakura could only mumble to herself as she pushed the glass doors open.

The blond ponytail swayed to the side, before completely leaving Sakura's sight as a pair of azure orbs stared back at excited emerald orbs.

"Sakura?" left the woman's lips as she blinked a few times.

No more words were exchanged, for the two girls were already hugging.

A smile appeared on Ino's lips as she pulled away and analyzed the girl before her. "Sakura! It's been such a long time!"

"It has, hasn't it?" replied the roseate. "You won't believe how excited I was when I first heard from Naruto that you would be one of the people I was going to work with."

The two then engaged in idle chatter as the clock ticked by. Before they even knew it, another figure joined them in the room.

"Oh, Sai!" Ino exclaimed in surprise as her eyes landed on the artist.

Confusion rose within Sakura as she looked from Ino to Sai, and then back to Ino. "You two know each other?"

A sheepish smile appeared on Ino's lips as she attempted to explain, "Well, we dated in the past. That's all to it." she stated, nodding in his direction.

"A pleasant morning to you then, Sai-san," Sakura greeted with a simple nod as well.

"Ahh, I'm quite the lucky fellow,"

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances before settling their eyes on Sai. It was Ino who spoke their silent question, "And by that you mean...?"

"Well, I wouldn't say a lot of models out there - _male _models, that is, had ever experienced the pleasure of working with two gorgeous models as yourselves,"

"Skip the sweet talk, Sai. I'm no longer interested, and I'm sure Sakura isn't interested as well," Ino deadpanned, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the dark haired man.

Sai merely raised his hands in defense, and gave out a fake exasperated sigh.

Minutes later, the three spotted Naruto as well as a few other executive-looking people walk in.

"Ah, there you guys are! I see you're all acquainted," he commented with a bright smile on his usually perky face.

The three stood up and bowed at the executives in greeting, added to their individual morning greetings, that is.

"Eh? Where's Sasuke-teme?" Naruto questioned aloud, scanning the area.

Sakura could only wince yet chuckle at the same time. Naruto's casual habit towards other people in times of formality really did amaze her.

"Not here yet, that's for sure," stated one of the executives. "Why don't we all proceed to the meeting room then. I'm sure — "

"Excuse me, Kanagawa-san," the girl behind the front desk called out.

_'Kanagawa... as in, Kanagawa Keito? The owner of the whole Itsumademo Advertising?'_ Sakura thought to herself.

"Uchiha-san's manager called in early this morning. She informed me that they would be running a little late today, for a few meetings were bumped up on his schedule today," the girl continued.

"Well, that can't be helped then," Keito murmured. "It'd be best if we all proceeded to the meeting room anyways. We have a lot of things to accomplish today."

The rest followed Kanagawa Keito towards the meeting room. Once each of them were inside, they proceeded to seat themselves on the chairs tucked under a huge mahogany table. Sakura spotted the white screen pulled down, and a projector was placed in the middle of the table.

"Now, I'd like to formally welcome all of you to the first magazine published under _Itsumademo Advertising_; _Ullzang_. As you all know, _'_Ullzang' literally means, 'Best Faces' in Korean. No, we are not trying to take favor in the Korean market. This term is widely known. Chinese, Taiwanese, and even Japanese use the Ullzang term when referring to a good looking male or female over the internet. This magazine will have themes for each issue. A particular theme for a particular issue revolving around the concept of Ullzang. Of course there will be guest models for each issue. We won't have the same set of people for the same set of issue. We have chosen the four — three that are present at the moment, that is, to remain our main models. Like take for example, "_Kumikky" _and _"Tsubasa"_ of _Popteen. _You see them on countless covers and pages of countless Popteen issues, but they aren't the _only_ models there. We picked the four of you in particular, for we know that with your help, we can attract a lot of younger buyers. That is ensured with your help."

The meeting was going well, that is, before their attention was completely focused on the people that just entered the room.

A gust of wind burst inside the room as in came Uchiha Sasuke and his manager.

"Uchiha-san, nice of you to join us," Keito stated in the middle of explaining.

Although a playful yet stern comment was thrown his way, Sasuke merely nodded and took grabbed the empty seat beside Sai before situating himself and gazing straight up at the presentation before him.

Sakura had to check if her jaw had hit the floor when _he_ came waltzing in as if nothing happened. _As if he wasn't late_. She had to admit, he was good looking. Possibly the most good looking man she had laid her eyes on (and she had gazed upon many, being in this line of business). He was like a porcelain doll. His skin was flawless. His cheekbones were perfect, and his jaw was well defined. His eyes, they were the color of the dark night. Onyx. Whilst, his soft-looking ebony hair stood up at the back with messy raven locks.

He was... gorgeous.

But enough of that, his attitude clearly _wasn't_. Possibly.

She doesn't know the guy. Not personally, anyway.

Though one thing was for sure, he seemed so... unrealistic. As if he was hand sculpted by the God, Adonis.

Inwardly shaking her head and ignoring the elbow nudging her at her side (courtesy of the one and only Yamanaka Ino), Sakura focused her emerald orbs on the white screen ahead, completely oblivious to the onyx orbs that secretly eyed her.

She looked... interesting. He thought.

Her strawberry pink locks seemed natural. Very much unlike the dyed ones that belonged to girls he had met before.

Her eyes, a strikingly emerald color that seemed to stare down to his very core. With those wicked orbs, it was as if she could see right through him.

Her skin, ivory in color and not a flaw in sight.

And her lips, not too plump, not too thin. Perfectly shaped.

_Perfect in Sasuke's opinion, that is._

But these thoughts surfacing from the back of his mind. These were dangerous thoughts. It was the first time Sasuke pondered over the appearance of a girl, after all. This was just another job of his, and she was just another person he would be working with.

He'd keep that in mind whenever these type of thoughts resurfaced.

Turning his direction to the front of the room, and directing his attention to Keito, Sasuke blocked out all alien thoughts that weren't related to the topic at hand: the first photoshoot.

"Everyone knows that the first shoot is always the most important. It's like that quote, '_First impressions last'_, and whatnot," Keito started to explain. "So in this case, we are going for the theme that interests everybody: Love."

This caught all of the models' attention.

Love.

Of course.

"Love can be interpreted as anything. In general, if you refer to love, it could be something like your love for your family, friends, even pets at home," at this statement, Keito had already focused solely on the models. With his hands on the desk, the four knew he meant business. "But what we are going to be focusing on," he paused, "Is the love shared between two lovers. Relationships, the typical boyfriend-girlfriend scenario type of thing."

At his last statement, the four had surprisingly all stiffened. Others less conspicuously than some, and some, more visible than others.

Sakura's shoulders were so tense that she had to remind herself over and over again that this was all a job. She was being paid to do this, and nothing more. It wasn't as if a budding relationship was going to be formed between her and whoever she was going to be paired with for this shoot.

Taking note of her friend's stiffened form from the corner of her eye, the blonde female smiled fondly at the idea. It was quite the theme, after all. Memories flooded back in her mind as she recalled her High School days. If a teacher brought up _that_ topic, most students looked quite intrigued. It was the only time they had fully paid attention to their sensei for that subject. Others seemed as if they weren't bothered at all by the topic at hand, but Ino knew (all too well), that they were also very much interested in the subject.

Ah, yes. The topic of love _did_, in fact, intrigue the young minds in her class.

"This magazine is focusing more on the young adult readers. The _teenagers_, if you will. This magazine will be promoting fashion, as well as highlight on certain themes for each month. This will be the first ever issue, and our aim is to at least catch half the population we are focusing on selling our copies to."

Silence filled the room after Keito had explained. He had noted their stiffened forms (except for Uchiha Sasuke who merely looked aloof, as always), and had wondered if they had wavered in their decision to stick with the company.

"Can I count on you guys to help us?" he questioned sincerely.

Silence filled the room once more. Although this time, it was a comfortable silence. As if understanding flowed between the four corners of the meeting room they were in.

A sigh was heard, before a response. "You can count on me."

All eyes turned towards the rosette sitting in her seat, with a posture of confidence.

"You will definitely not regret picking me as one of the models for this magazine." Sakura stated. Sincerity visible in her jade orbs.

Ino's eyes closed for one moment, as an amused smile appeared on her lips. "Well, if Sakura's in, then I'm definitely going to go for it as well."

"Well I certainly will not go back on my word. You can count on me." Sai added.

Keito had looked at the three with grateful eyes as he turned to the last model that he waited for approval.

"Hn,"

"What the hell is _that _supposed to mean?" Ino scoffed.

"Ah! Well, in Uchiha language, that means _'yes',_" Naruto had abruptly added in.

A smile appeared on Keito's lips as he stood up straight and straightened out any form of wrinkles on his business suit.

"I'd like to thank all of you for cooperating. Your cooperation is a very important factor to the success of this project," simultaneous nodding rounded the table.

Taking the binder from his assistant, Keito had flipped a few pages before stopping. His eyes read the material on the page before turning back his attention towards the models before him.

"So for the first shoot, which will be 3 days from today, I expect you all to be here around 11 a.m. We are going to be shooting 2 major scenes for this shoot. Mainly focused on introducing the models. The shoots will take place in the studio itself, and the other, which is outdoor. Your make-up and hair stylists will be here tomorrow, so no need to bring one of your own, or do it yourself. Are there any questions?"

No hands were raised.

"Alright, thank you all for coming today, and I am looking forward to working with everyone."

The four bowed in respect, as they slowly filed out of the room. Once they were almost out the door, Keito had called them one again, an additional announcement, probably.

"Oh, and did I mention that the reviews from the first issue after it is released will determine the specific person you will be working with? It's either Sasuke and Ino, Sakura and Sai, or Sasuke and Sakura and Ino and Sai. Interesting, isn't it?"

A flurry of emotions rushed through Sakura as statement circled in her mind again and again.

This was another job she had taken. That was it.

That's all there is to it.

Or... that's what she'll keep telling herself if ever that unfamiliar feeling swelled up in her chest once again.

* * *

_To be continued..._

* * *

Wow. Managed to get out 2 updates today.  
- _well, given the fact that the 2 documents were things I had been working on in the past, and didn't quite finish till current._

But yeah... so, I hope you guys enjoyed. More things coming up for this story. I have big plans for this fic.

Hopefully you guys will support this fic as the plot develops!

Do leave reviews! They are appreciated! :)


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